INCIDENCE OF PRIMARY CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Aim: Identification of primary cardiovascular risk factors in patients with erectile dysfunction. Material and methods: The study included 308 apparently healthy men, with a mean age of 45 +/- 12.1 years. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) questionnaire was used to determine the following indices: BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. Results: The total incidence of cardiovascular risk factors was 56%: 45% in men aged up to 40 years (group I) and 74% in those over 40 years (group II). High blood pressure was found in 9% of the men in group I and 55% in those in group II (p < 0.05). Blood glucose levels were recorded in 5% of group I patients 24% in group II patients. Sixty-six percent of the men over 40 years were overweight compared with 16% of men under age 40. Dyslipidemia was present in 65% of group I versus 19% in group II. Conclusions: Our study shows that especially in men over 40 years of age erectile dysfunction is a vascular endothelial condition clearly associated with cardiovascular risk factors; the direct association between the severity of erectile dysfunction and increased levels of cardiovascular risk factors reflects their importance in the occurrence and course of the disease, which should be taken into account when diagnosing an erectile dysfunction and selecting the therapeutic approach.